Tractor appliance



Patented Sept. 4, 19273.

GEORGE H. noises, or WATERTOWN, ianfssiicnusnrrs. v

TRACTOR' APPLIANCE,

Application flied April 12,

To all whom 2'25 may concern: Y A

Be it known that 1Gnonsn. H. Nons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Watertown, in the county of liiddlesezi and tain new and useful Improvements in Trac' tor Appliances, of which the following is a specification. i Y- Y This invention relates yto improvements in tractors and vl'ore :particularly it relates Vto means by which aI vtool or appliance attachedinti-l.- mately to and drawnby a tractor, and in a sense. comprising a part 'of the tractor, can

be guided variantly while attached Y to the tractor, and in some cases the tractor steered thereby. The invention is herein illustrated as it may be applied in connection with a lawn mowenf The mowing apparat-usmay be taken as typical-of any ltool or appliance to be drawn by a tractor which is guided by a person wallingfbehind it. The type of tractor .especially contemplated is one having either a single tractor wheel, or a pair of tractor wheels on the same axis, ar-V ranged forward of the appliance, but the invention is applicable to tractors generally. In the case specified the apparatus-as a whole ordinarily has a certain steadfastness of direction when. t appliance is attached which makes it `inherently less mobile than is convenient for turning corners, or for turning -around at the end of a stretch or forincidentalright and left guiding as the lie of theA ground ori-conditions thereon may require. It isv an object of the invention to provide apparatus which is quicklyfand..

readily convertible betweenjthis .stiflland a flexibleV condition.;-A which when flexible V is easily manipulated by the operator who is at the'same time manipulating the tractor, and remaining parts. ofthe whole'apparatus, while walking 5V and to-provide appara-V tus having the o'theradva-ntages embodied in the improvement 'herein disclosed. Varia-` tions in many respects may be made from the specific formV of. apparatus here illustra-tred; It is intended Vthat the'patent shall. cover, by ,suitable expression in the Vappended claims', whatever features of patentable novelty exist `in theinven'tion dis-Kv closed. A Y

In the accompanyingdrawings: 'a

Figure l is aI 'deelevation of an embodiment of the inventominwhch the tractor portionof the same; YState of Massachusetts, have invented ceripartly in section; lappliances drawn thereby. 4

j horizontal .bearing `being and`48-5.' Onfthe upper of these, 45, is al 1920. semi no.' 373,110. Y l

rear part yof its frame;

Yis represented only by'ka fragment of the.

Figure 2 isa rear felevationof the'r lower Figure 3 isa planof said parts of ,thei

Figure 4 is a side elevation ofthe saine,.

igure 5 is a rear elevation of the same,

in section on line 57-5 of- Figure V3; Aand Y v lFigure 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the complete apparatus. Y

Referring to theidraw'i'ngs,VlOindicates a. "70

pair of handles lille .plow handles, of which only-one is seen, because in Figurev l they are Yviewed in side elevation; llaninclined `beam running forward therefrom to a trace tion wheel or pairgof wheels-(Figure 6); 13 a horizontal beam member running forparts 1l, land 26 comprise portions of 'the' .ordinary orsuitable"construction, one suitable construction for the .sa-ine, being'shown ward to the same, and'26 an upright; They tractor frame on which -is vsupported drivinv my co-pending application for Letters'v inches Yabove kthe ground, about as .illus trated, at a'convenientylevel for the attach-1. ment .of alaw-n mower of ordinarytype .hav

n Patent Serial'No. 319,379.5211 such appara:Y 'Y ftus,there isa rear portion of frame a few ing at each side-wheels-BO and having a rotary cutter 40. The connection comprises a yole having depending Varm`s`p41 which en- Y gage around the shaft of `the 'cutter 40,at

Y, each sidethereoand unitedV by .amiddle piece 42 which `isin engagement .with the tractor frame through any convenientY form f of swivel. The details offone such are illus- V.trated Vin Figure'lwhere 'it isseen that the cross bar 42Y is rigid'with an under vplate 423 through which passes a'king boltv 44 'which also passes through'an upper plate 45, Vthe latter. being` secured rigidly. by Vbolts 46150 Vthe frame' 13. The 4yoke 42 is thus swivelledto the tractorframe ontheking bolt 44, the between the plates projection 5() extending Vto 'the rear, suit-g suitable inea-ns, such as a n of the frame.

in Figure 3, and havingr a sizable notch 5l open to the rear, with its walls converging forward, into which a wedge-shaped block 52 may fit. r'he under platel i3 has a projection to the rear under the projection 50 of the upper plate, supporting on a pivot in a slot 6l the lowerend of a sort let tiller bar 62 whereon is inounted the wedge block 52. The tiller is pivoted .on a horizontal axis, extending transversely oi' the apparatus, at 63 just below the level of the under plate 43, as seen in Figure 4. rlhetiller bar 62 'is capable of swinging upward Vand forward Jfar enough for its block 52 'to engage deeply, and to seat itseli, in the notchl; and backward and downward 'from the 'vertical, through a` limited arc on salid Apivot 63, tar enough for this blcclr to be Awithdrawn from the notch 51 andto be clear of the projection L50 so that it can swingv to either side thereof on an are around the king bolt ed. In Figure lhit is shown in 'this position, while in Figures and 4f, it is shown engaged, W hen engaged, the plate-sV 45 and 43V are locked together and the whole' apparatus '1s rigid, in respect ot the parts under discussion, with the wheelsV 30 set so as to run straight fore and at','which is the direction in which the 'traction wheel in the forward part of the frame is assurned to be setrigidlyg'if, as preferred, the device happens to be used with a tractor whose iterward wheel can not be turned to right or left with respect tothe Atraine. The tille-r bar may he latchedin this ,setting by any spring latch 64 higher up on the tiller har, projecting' forward and adapted to engage over a rod 65 which connects the Yframe inernhers ll.

` Thus, when it is so la-tched, `the lawn niower or other device attached is setrigidly parallel with the inedial fore and att direction Then the tiller is swung' back, however, to the position"illustrated in Figure l, it is capable of being swung laterally in either direction to turn the'lawn mower wheels 30 to rig-ht or lett, for con venience'in doing` which a handle 66 may be provided at its upper end in position to be conveniently grasped by the operator between the handles l0v opi" the tractor. n

In operation, the man who is lguiding the apparatus, normally with hoth hands onV the tractor handles 10, simply shifts one hand to the handle 616, continuing t-o guide the tractor with the other hand. Pulling Y the tiller back from its spring-'latched posi'- tion at 65 he is va'ble toguide the lawnrnower portion of the apparatus, or V,whatever other tool or appliance is thereattached, to the right or left by simply swinging-the handle 66as a tiller. 'Incidentally the whole ap paratus is steered. Thus the tiller Vvmay serve either to guide thevcutter yfrom orto a particular place, -or may serve to guif'e the traction wheel as desired. II" the tractor be of the .type illustrated in any said application for patent, in which the single tractor wheel may be lifted from the ground in order to stop traction, b y depressing the 'Y handles 10 and so swinging 1t up around aV rear wheel support, 'the appliance hereinbe-V fore described does not interfere with that function because the wheels 30, and the trailing` roller 30 if present serve the function of the rear support about which the so Y And

in so far as this detracts from/the ready handling that is characteristic of tandem type tractor the deficiency `is largely L up by the swivel. Whenever the lawn mower or other appliancehas Ybeen variantly guided by the tiller it is vonly necessary -forf i the operatorto get the tiller'approx'irnately in the center, for if the w-edgerbloclrx52 `catches at yall in the notch' 51, it will 'centre itself automatically "when swung up to latched position. Y Y 1 Although the best form oit this apparatus 'Y includes the vuse of the tille-r, it is 'broadly a feature of invention vthat the apparatus comprises a trarne 'having vforward traction support and rear diiferential wheel support,

with handles extendingr further to the rear and with the cutter onother appliance be thus constituted, the voperatm' can, by de- `pressing'the rear handles, swing the ltrarne around the rea-r wheels ras Vf1-'mund a fulcrunnthereby lifting the forward portion t 'tween the tworear wheels. Y in apparatus fthe traction wheel this case. 4And it is another advantage whether or not' this Ydevice for eliminating theclutch be used,vthatdur ing' operation ot the apparatus at any tin-ie the traction wheel Vcan thus be lifted Yand" the apparatus wheeled about a rather' sharp turn on `its two rear wheels. n apparatus intended to be used thus, the location of en-z ,gi-ne and other `parts can hev placed so as to provide balance facilitating such 4a swing claiiri as my invention `of the traine by depressing' the rear handles? handles at the rear thereof rigid with the? appliance' Y frame, comprising a vertical 'swivel for they:

appliance on the tractor frame at the rear;

appliance;`v the said appliance comprising the `rear supportof the,'tractorv frame. f

and a tiller Aentend-ing Ito therear Afrom the v 2. A combination of a tractor having a pair of guiding handles spreading to both sides and the rear, whereby the tractor may be guided by a person walking behind, and an appliance` running on the ground, comprising a part of the ground support of the tractor and attached to the rear of the tractor with a swivel oint, and having a handle extending to the rear near the tractor handles, whereby the said appliance may be variantly guided by the same person.

3. The combination of a tractor having two spread handles extending to the rear, whereby the tractor may be guided by a person walking behind, and anappliance supporting the rear of the tractor and attached thereto with a swivel joint and having a tiller extending to the rear, between and adjacent to the tractor handles, so that the tractor and the appliance can be guided by the same person togetheror variantly.

rear guiding handle, and an appliance swivelled to the rear of the tractor with a tiller extending to the rear from the appliance and means for eiecting rigid engagement between the tiller -and the tractor holding .the tiller in a predetermined position.

5. The combination of a tractor having a. rear guiding handle, and an appliance swivelled to the rearV of the tractor Vwith a tiller extending to the rear from the ap pliance and means for effecting rigid engagement between the tiller andthe tractor holding the tiller in a predetermined position, means whereby the tiller swings backward from and forward to said engagement and a latch for holding it engaged.

6.4 The combination of a tractor havingv a rear guiding handle, and an appliance swivelled to the rear of the tractor with a tiller extending to the rear from the appliance and means for effecting rigid engagement between the tiller andthe tractor holding the tillerin a predetermined position, and means lautomatically perfecting the guidance of the tiller to the predetermined position for engagement.

7. A device for attaching an appliance 8. A tractor appliance, comprising the combination of a tractor havingV a frame with rear handles adapted to be held by a person walking behind, and with forward traction; a rear wheel support, with the appliance; aV vertical swivel connection therefrom to the tractor frame; and means with-v in reach of said person walking behind to turn the rear wheel support about said vertical pivot.

9. A tractor appliance, comprising the vcombination of a tractor having `a'frame with rear handles adapted to be held by a 4. The combination of a tractor havinga person walking behind, and with forward traction; a rear wheel support about whose axis the tractor may be swung lfrom the ground by depression of the rear handles, and a vertical swivel connection between the appliance and the tractor frame, whereby either may be directed va-riantly from the other.

l0. A device for attaching an appliance to a tractor comprising a vertical swivel for the appliance at the rear of they tractor frame whereby the appliance and tractor may be directed variantly in afhorizontal plane, and a pivotal connection between the appliance and tractor about an axis at right angles to said swivel, whereby the tractor and appliance may be swung relative to each other in a vertical plane.

11. The combination with a tractor of an appliance adapted to be drawn thereby at its rear and Vpi-voted thereto on vertical andV V horizontal axes, said tractor having rear handles, whereby the tractorwheel may be swung simultaneously upward and flaterally with respect to the appliance. Y

Signed at Boston, Massachusetts, this 8th day of April, 1920.

. GEORGE H. NOBBS. 

